Liz Pelly

An unsparing investigation into Spotify's origins and influence on music, weaving unprecedented reporting with incisive cultural criticism, illuminating how streaming is reshaping music for listeners and artists alike. Drawing on over a hundred interviews with industry insiders, former Spotify employees, and musicians, Mood Machine takes us to the inner workings of today's highly consolidated record business, showing what has changed...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize Winner of a Certificate of Merit from the 2025 ARSC Awards for Excellence A New Yorker, GQ, The Daily Telegraph (London), and Library Journal Best Book of 2025 A 2025 Washington Post Notable Nonfiction An NPR Books We Love Most pick An unsparing investigation into Spotify's origins and...

'Passionate and rigorous... riveting' Financial Times '[a] cool-headed but powerful polemic...' Sunday Times 'A thoroughly convincing argument that Spotify's success has had a disastrous effect on pop music...' The Guardian 'A vital addition to the genre... arrives not a moment too soon' The Telegraph THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT, AND CHOOSE TO LISTEN TO, MUSIC Streaming is...